Brian Schottenheimer heard Mike Tomlin’s verdict on the Cowboys’ players-only meeting, and he isn’t buying it. Speaking on the New Heights podcast, the former Steelers head coach said of teams that hold those meetings, “I think you’re dead.” Schottenheimer responded on 105.3 The Fan, as first reported by ClutchPoints via The Athletic’s Jon Machota.
Schottenheimer said he has a lot of respect for Tomlin but called the two situations “very, very different,” adding that it “depends on the type of meeting.” He agreed a meeting that turns into a gripe session is a bad sign. This one, he said, was led with purpose by Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark, which “shows ownership on their part.” He wasn’t in the room himself, but said the players who ran it told him it was “very, very productive.”
The IAHHM Take
Tomlin has the résumé to talk, and plenty of locker rooms would agree with him. A players-only meeting usually means the coaches have lost the room or the season is slipping. But the Cowboys don’t really have a choice about whether things are slipping. They are 2-3 after a 24-16 home loss to a Buccaneers team that hadn’t won a game, and the defense is giving up 395.4 yards per game, the second-most in the league.
That is why Williams’ leadership matters so much. We already saw him take the blame for the defense this week. Now he and Clark have to turn talk into stops, and the next test is about as tough as it gets: Sunday night at Lambeau Field against the Packers.
Words in a meeting room don’t mean much if the tape looks the same on Sunday. If Dallas goes into Green Bay and gets punched in the mouth again, Tomlin’s take will age just fine. If the defense shows up, Schottenheimer gets the last word.
Who’s right here: is a players-only meeting a red flag, or the first sign a team is taking ownership?
Source: ClutchPoints
